The Cyclones ended the season in a place they haven’t been in since 1997, securing the ACHA runner-up. This will be their seventh runner-up banner.

Iowa State could not get past the defending ACHA national champion Lindenwood Lions, falling 2-0 in a hard fought game when they just ran out of time.

The Cyclones came from behind in their three victories leading up to the championship that senior forward Pete Majkozak described as the “Cardiac Kids”.

Senior forward Brad Krueger scored the game winning goal for the Cyclones in two of their victories on the way to the finals.

“Being a senior, I know I had to step up and lead by example,” Krueger said. “I wasn’t just fortunate enough to be in some situations where I was able to step up and do that.”

Sophomore forward Brian Rooney is one of the beneficiaries of the leadership qualities of the graduating seniors this season. 

Rooney hopes he and the other upper classmen can provide that same type of leadership for the younger players next season.

“I think I speak for all the younger guys when I say those six or seven guys have been the leaders, the older brothers, and the fathers on this team from day one,” Rooney said. “They have shown great leadership abilities on and off the ice. I felt like I could go to them with any sort of situation throughout the season and they would be able to help me with it. What they have done for this team is more important than I think they will ever realize.”

It wasn’t just the seniors that gave the team boosts along the way.

The Cyclones also received two key tournament goals from first year players in freshman forward Derek Kohles and sophomore forward Cody Steele.

“Those two guys came up big for us when they were called upon,” coach Al Murdoch said. “The two go-ahead goals they scored really got the team pumped up.”

The locker room may have been silent after the loss into Lindenwood, but the mood wasn’t any less proud.

Iowa State will now add a 7th ACHA runner up banner to the Ames/ISU Ice Arena next season, the last one coming at the end of the 1997-’98 season.

“We were obviously disappointed that we weren’t able to pull it out, but we went back to the locker room knowing that we had left everything out there on the ice,” Krueger said. “That was one of the main things we talked about going into the national tournament was leaving everything out there on the ice in every game and I feel like we did that so we have something to keep our heads up about.”

Rooney also feels like he made bonds with his teammates this season that will last him a lifetime,

“I feel like every guy in that locker room is now my brother and that’s something that I haven’t had on any other team I’ve ever played on,” Rooney said. “Getting so close to having that championship trophy in our hands makes us that much hungrier to go back and get it next season.”

Iowa State finished with a final record of 30-12-4.